Has there been any discussion about what it would take to reopen the lakes for swimming in the summer? Any community activity to support it? I just purchased a house right over the walking bridge in the Fan and I would be VERY interested in fundraising, petitioning, etc about this.

“The 37-block area roughly bounded by South Harrison Street, Cary Street, South Mulberry Street, and the Downtown Expressway was named to the National Register of Historic Places as the Fan Area Historic District Extension in May 1986.”

Pretty iconic postcard shows diving board and lots of swimming in lake. Only caveat, the picture is lilly white, thus most likely pre-civil rights era. So yes, the lakes were clean enough at some point. Non-migratory Canadian goose for dinner anyone?

Dear New Neighbor:
I felt so badly for you. This is a great concept and would definitely benefit the community for many years. I wonder, given the lacking of city funds, if we could modify the scale? The wildlife has made a significant home and it would be a shame to have a sharp decline.

Google image “Byrd park swim” . It was “closed” not too long ago 1955. Yes it needs to be again for sure. There is a current. The haters can just stay inside on their computers and complain. How about bring back trolleys as well since Richmond at one point had the largest one in the world. A system that NYC’s system is based off of. Car companies bought out and bankrupted it.

“Sheilds Lake swimming area became very popular, attracting as many as 5,000 swimmers a day during the summer.”

So I’ve been reading a few things about swimming in the lakes at Byrd park. It was closed down to keep out minorities, since it was a strictly whites only park, in a whites only neighborhood. They chose not to make repairs and shut it down in 1955

“The “Upper Lake”, now known as Swan Lake, had an island and was stocked for fishing. The Roundhouse which is betweenBoat Lake and Swan Lake dates from 1914-1916. Shields Lake, which was used for swimming and included a bathhouse, was open until 1955 when legal decisions would require integration of the white-only facilities and the city chose not to make needed repairs to the lake.”

“One of the things Byrd Park is most famous for was the fact that Richmond-born tennis great Arthur Ashe, Jr. was not allowed to play on the courts in his youth because of the persistence of segregation in the city. By the 1950s, many of the residential neighborhoods around the park became integrated while the park continued as “whites-only.” Because it was a public place in Virginia, Byrd Park’s history matches that of the segregated city of which it was part.”

“Our” racist history. Mostly because of a fake money debt slave system and so-called “ownership”. Found out that realtors had set up amusement parks just to get people out on “streetcar” suburbs. Which later turned to everyone buying their own cars and paying for them themselves. Except the rich of course who wrote it all off as taxes, that the “poor” pay for. So yes all a scam. Free pools for all would be a great plus and lots of fun now that the neighborhood is acting like its finally “integrated”. Integrated Only for wage slaves. People with self respect not allowed, but yeah the dark ages lol.